Map08 - Pale Wind
Pale Wind Pale Wind is the eighth map of Hedon, and the third one taking place in the overworld besides Parapet and the latter half of Cold Rock. It's also the first place where the player gets to explore a frozen environment, as Zan ventures to the very top of mountain Valc. The peak is covered in snow during pretty much every season of the rotation, but the weather is at its harshest during the cold season which is soon to arrive at the time chapter one takes place. Snowy Mountain When Zan arrives at the peak, a heavy snow and mist cover the tracks and surrounding pine forest. Usually, the Dwarves from Icepeak spend considerable time and effort in maintaining the trade route but they were not excepted from Nithriel's invasion - and in their absence, most signs of civilization were whited out in mere days. Nithriel's troops also proved to be overwhelmed by the environment, with a significant number of them being stranded after the teleportation and eventually freezing to death. During her stay at the Cabin, Lancer Dendra notes this in a diary: "The journey has been a mess. The road's been nearly entirely swallowed by snow, and many of the ice caves have collapsed, I've even lost my lance in a cave-in, and perhaps I would have lost a lot more if I hadn't shielded myself in time... It feels unnatural for the ground to tremble like this, and the Dwarves wouldn't normally slack with tending to the path to their fort. ..." Cabin Built into the relative safe confines of an icy cave, the Cabin was meant to offer travelers a place to rest or take shelter during snow storms. This is where Lancer Dendra stayed before moving further on towards the nearby Grove and the Fortress. Grove Probably the only place around that stays evergreen, the Grove is a small cave where Earth Mother Eva has established herself a habitat similar to that of Valc's Grove. With the aid of Crystals and magic, Eva turned the Grove into a natural sanctuary, where food could be grown for the Dwarves during any season. Temple Close to the Grove, a clump of snowy ruins lead into the mountain, concealing an Ancient temple. It is strikingly similar in design to the ruins found inside Valc - the Bath House and Underwater Cave - featuring the same columns, masonry, portals and pools. Few statues of Water and Moon can also be seen watching over the inner chambers. Despite being partially destroyed by the weather, a significant part of the Temple was preserved in a relatively good shape. Creek Branching off by the Cabin, another icy cave leads towards a bridge crossing over an underground creek. During the tremors caused inside the mountain by the Crawlers, few avalanches and cave ins formed above as well, often blocking routes and ruining the infrastructure. The wooden bridge was torn apart by a block of ice plummeting into the frozen creek from above, prompting Zan to either fix it when she finds it, or find another way to jump over the gap. Icy Caves Beyond the bridge, a large cluster of Icy Caves traverse through the mountain's crest. After the invasion began, the Cultists sent to take over Icepeak used these caves to take shelter and set up some camp fires. Bridge A marvel of Dwarven masonry and engineering, the Bridge was built between the edge of the mountain crest and another elevated peak upon which Icepeak Fortress would throne. Composed from three bridge segments which connect other smaller peaks at their ends, this tight corridor is one of the first lines of defenses protecting the fort beyond. There are signs of battle to be found, the player being able to find only a few fallen Dwarves with many more dead Cultists around them. Unfortunately, Nithriel's magic pentagrams did not care for any defense and the undermanned Fortress would eventually fall to the attackers coming from within. Icepeak Fortress Centuries after the Dwarves were anihilated by the Demons, the few remnants who left the ruins of their civilization sought to find a safe place where they could survive. Most of them remained underground, but one particular community realized that a secluded place in the overworld would keep them safer from Demonic influence. As Icepeak Fortress was built, a new clan of Dwarves was born, bearing its name. It took long for its inhabitants to adapt to living and building outside, but their advanced knowledge in engineering allowed them to construct a sturdy home, far away from their sworn enemies. The Fortress has a basic defensive system involving the Bridge, fortified walls, a barbican, a keep and four corner towers which also serve as the quarters of the Guilds (marked by the appropriate banners). Carpenter's Guild Tower The Carpenters took the tower closest to the bridge, from where they could shoot with their ranged weapons and position their siege weaponry. The wall-level floor contains a workshop where the Carpenters shape wood into useful objects. Because of the restrained space, Dwarves employ hatch doors and ladders to access the floors of their towers, with the living areas usually being on the upper part, and storage areas being closer to the ground. Stonemason's Guild Tower The Stonemasons are in charge of the tower on the opposite side of the gate from their Carpenter fellows. Here, some of the best masonry blocks in the land are made, providing one of the main exports of Icepeak. The Iron Division is particularly interested in this stone which they use in many of their underground buildings. The tower is also similar in size, with the main floor serving for the processing of materials and the others being used for sleeping and additional storage. The player cannot access any of the closed hatches, however. Blacksmith's Guild Tower Almost as large as the Keep itself, the Blacksmith's Guild Tower is usually a warm, noisy place, with several smiths and their apprentices toiling over various pieces of metal. This is where Icepeak is armed and prepared to live in the harsh, frozen environment, with many other tools being provided for miners and quarry workers. Some of the forging equipment here was imported from Valc, with the Dwarves eventually making their own adjustments to the designs conceived by the Fixers. Brewer's Guild Tower Closest to the Keep and connecting to it through battlements, the Brewer Guild's Tower serves as the kitchen for Icepeak, preparing both food and providing drinks for the community. With the help of Earth Mother Eva and her Grove, the Dwarves almost never ran out of fruit to feed to their still, the resulting surplus of alcohol being exported and used for trading. Chapel Shielded by the Fort's walls, the Chapel lies in the courtyard, facing the road connecting the gate to the Keep. Here, Dwarves can gather to worship their Elemental God, Stone. Keep Right between the Chapel and the Brewer's Guild Tower, the Keep stands as the tallest building of Icepeak, serving both to represent the nobility and as a part of the fort's defenses. Outsiders are usually invited to keep's throne room, where the Lord hosts an audience to measure them and gather information and rumors from outside. The four nobles leading the Guilds have their own smaller thrones here from where they serve as the Lord's advisors. A narrow staircase leads upwards, to the library. The Dwarves took whatever books and manuscripts they could scavenge from their ruined homes in the underground, bringing it all together to form a modest bank of knowledge. The library holds a variety of texts, ranging from historical descriptions to schematics and recipes. Outside the library's doors, a corridor connects to the walls leading to the Blacksmith and Brewer's Guild Towers. The top floor of the Keep contains the personal quarters of the Lord and the High Priest. They are the fanciest chambers in all Icepeak, although they do not rise up to the standards that the Dwarves had set during their age of glory in the underworld. Being the farthest away from the ground, this is also the most quiet floor of the Keep, allowing the Lord to rest and the High Priest to perform his prayers in peace. Dungeon Another set of narrow stairs connects the foyer of the throne room to the Dungeon. This large underground area hosts the tavern, allowing the citizens a large area to warm up for the day and turn in before the night. Here, a stone well provides the fort with clean water. When Lith returned from her journey to Parapet, she poisoned the well, knowing that almost every Dwarf would sooner or later come in contact with it this way. With the warriors weakened by the traitorous Witch, the Cultists had a significantly easier time taking control of the Fortress. They later used the Dungeon as an incubator for Lith's corruption growing out of the poisoned ones into a gruesome, dark mass. When Zan gets to the Dungeon, she encounters Andrik, a lone survivor, locked inside the jail by the invaders. On the opposite side lies a storage area and a gear shop, where locally produced merchandise can be sold to travelers. Close to them is the bank, a place taking root from the Dwarves' ancient habits of greed and hoarding, where Icepeak's citizens can store their valuable possessions or be rewarded for their service by the nobles. A highly secure vault protects the Lord's treasury, capable of fending off any thief bold enough to venture so far up the mountain. After a long and difficult construction process, Icepeak came together with the Iron Division through a large elevator piercing straight through the mountain and connecting their strongholds. This elevator was also a very important step in developing Icepeak's trade, offering a fast and safe route to ship goods beneath, as well as help travelers get up without having to venture through icy caves and roads. Zan eventually takes the lift down, crashing with it into Lower Valc.